Academics

Faith Baptist Christian School has been a ministry of the Faith Baptist Church for over 30 years. It has provided quality Christian education for families in Pekin, Peoria, and the tri-county area since 1975.

Though our methods and facilities have changed over the years, we have an unwavering commitment to the Bible as the only sure answer to all of life’s diverse challenges. We also affirm our determination to help Christian families and the local church.

Each year our classes consistently test in the 90th percentile on the Stanford achievement tests and a full two years ahead of the public schools. Over 80% of our graduates go on to college. Many have high ACT scores and earn academic scholarships. A number of our alumni have chosen careers in the U.S. Armed Forces. Our academics are applied through primarily traditional methods, and we currently have three SMART Boards on campus to allow a variety of media in the classroom for enhanced learning. Most importantly, our students are being prepared for life, not just for graduation.

Common Core Addressed

The mission of Faith Baptist Christian Schools is “to partner with families in educating students through a Bible-centered curriculum to foster academic excellence and spiritual growth in preparation for ongoing ministry and education.” There are several phrases contained in our mission statement alone that obligate us to opt out of becoming “CCSS compliant” as a school.

First of all, it is our mission “to partner with families.” Believing that it is the parent’s prerogative to “raise children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4) FBCS is opposed to federal direction or involvement in the content or methods of the educational system, whether directly or indirectly. Common Core is a corporate-driven and federally-funded attempt to enforce an agenda on the next generation.

We often say that we “meet or exceed state standards” and, as a school that is committed to “fostering academic excellence”, FBCS continually reviews all educational standards, state and national. To be aware of trends in education is not, of course, to be compliant with them. We believe that for us to live up to what we teach—critical thinking and discernment—we must review and assess standards. But we answer to a higher standard…the parent, who is charged by God to raise their child. Our God commands us to “approve things that are excellent.” (Philippians 1:10).

Our academic excellence speaks for itself. Our students test an average of 2 years ahead of grade level and are in high percentile rankings compared to both public and Christian schools. Common Core is a minimum standard for public schools. Why would we want to lower ourselves to something that is even a step lower than previous well meaning, but ill-conceived federal programs?

We are also committed to a “Bible-centered curriculum.” Please be assured that biblical integration continues to be the true core of FBCS. We are a Christian school and if we fail to keep our students focused on the Living Word of God and striving daily to become more conformed to His image, we may as well close our doors, for we are no longer a Christian school. Examples abound of how Common Core is agenda-based, and that agenda is not Christian, but rather dedicated to the breakup of traditional Christian values in our American culture. We remember daily—and prayerfully—the great accountability under which we labor in providing Christian education.

Dedicated since its founding almost forty years ago to excellence and Truth, FBCS strives to keep itself constantly informed of changes in both pedagogy and technology. Staying abreast is not, of course, the same as blindly aligning with or agreeing with such changes. FBCS will continue to use publishers they can trust to deliver academically sound and biblically integrated materials. We check all curriculum against rigorous standards, both educational and theological.

God has given us a high calling, parents have given us a high calling, and our mission holds us to that high calling. We seek to give an education from a Christian worldview that cannot be discredited. We will continue to be vigilant in order to maintain those high standards, true to our mission statement.